Tuesday, July 17, 2007

With the celebration of one of the biggest traditional parties not only in Mexico but in Latin America, the ‘Guelaguetza’, Ulises Ruiz has put his ruling capabilities clear. He doesn’t understand people’s culture and traditions and hence his idea of government is has more to do with one of administrating a business rather than preserving and promoting Oaxaca’s cultural legacy.Guelaguetza is a zapotec word that means ‘sharing’. It is a time when people from all around Oaxaca come to the capital to share whatever little they have with their other fellows. It has so happened that since some time ago, some tourist agencies along with the government thought that it was a good idea to show that phenomena in order to attract more people and with it promote Oaxacas’ culture. So on the one hand, more people would get jobs and income, which is much needed, and on the other hand, cultural heritage would be known all around the world.That seemed to be the deal. Apparently, now that assassin of Ulises Ruiz wants to show the world a culture that he doesn’t understand or more precisely a culture that he wants to kill, since culture belongs to people and Ulises is been killing Oaxacans. One person has died just this monay 16th of July and about 40 more were arrested.People is very aware of the fact that their culture and traditions are not for sale and that the fact that before there was a unwritten agreement in which all, or nearly all benefited from does not mean that people has to give up their traditions for Ulises to show a Oaxaca that is in ‘peace and working’.So what is the big problem now? For Ulises the problem is to legitimize himself by showing the rest of the country and the world that Oaxaca has moved on from last year uprisings. For the people the problem is that they want to celebrate what they have been celebrating for centuries, perhaps for more than thousand years, the guelaguetza. So it all comes to one single battle and battlefield: the guelaguetza, the commercial version by the government, and the popular version by the people. That wouldn’t be much of a problem as they could carry on doing them in different places. The problem is, the place: ‘el cerro del fortin’, ‘the small fort hill’ (my own translation) is the problem, and the battlefield.Next is a list of people arrested in the battle for that hill, and two videos of one of the battles between the people and the police. (taken from http://www.oaxacaenpiedelucha.blogspot.com/)Video 1